K9’s Receive New Ballistic Vests
September 22, 2014
Elise Schaffer, PIO
Phone: (608) 284-6142
Sheriff's Office
According to Vest-A-Dog Wisconsin, seventeen K9’s died in the line of duty last year. The Dane County Sheriff’s Office greatly values the work of our K9 Unit and is pleased to partner with Vest-A-Dog Wisconsin, Mounds Pet Food Warehouse, and Dane County K9, Inc. to keep our K9’s safe.
At 4:00 pm on Wednesday, September 24th, K9 Utrix and K9 Odjin will receive new ballistic vests donated by the organizations mentioned above. The vests will be presented to Utrix and Odjin and their handlers Deputy Brian Biwer and Deputy Scott Lindner at Mounds Pet Food Warehouse in Sun Prairie, located at 2422 Montana Avenue.
Utrix is a patrol and narcotics dog, while Odjin is trained in the detection of explosives. A K9 faces the same if not greater risk than human law enforcement as they are often sent in ahead of their human counterparts to apprehend suspects or investigate dangerous situations. The Dane County Sheriff’s Office has a total of five K9’s, including two additional patrol/narcotics dogs and one search/cadaver dog.
Wisconsin Vest-A-Dog was started in 2005 and is a non-profit, tax deductible organization endorsed by the Wisconsin Veterinary Association. Every donation is used for the purchase and shipping of vests and other protective equipment. The goal of the Vest-A-Dog program is to provide a bullet proof and stab proof vest for every police dog in Wisconsin. The vests are the only protection these K-9 officers have until their human partners arrive on the scene.
For more information on how to support this unit, go to http://www.danecountyk9.org/.